


Where The Heart Is

by ebenflo



Series: The Return Of Peter Parker [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Sequel, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, happy endings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 07:29:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17076005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebenflo/pseuds/ebenflo
Summary: Sequel to "Homecoming"It's been a week since Tony brought Peter home, and Peter hasn't spoken to him once.





	Where The Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

> All characters depicted are adults of consenting age. Rating is for second chapter. Title comes from the phrase "home is where the heart is".

They’ve been back for a solid week and Peter is still refusing to talk to him. The silence is absolutely maddening to Tony. Sure, part of the reason is that they’ve had Peter under reasonably tight observation in the medical bay for his own safety – he gets that. But Tony’s seen Peter taking short walks around the compound with Bruce, sharing hushed conversations with him that Tony, with his pathetically-only-human-after-all hearing can’t possibly perceive (using a drone to eavesdrop is a step too far, even for him, Tony decides). He’s even caught Peter on a trip down to the kitchens with Wanda after hours, presumably for a contraband snack – not that either of them realised he was just around the corner as they hurried past (Tony was absolutely _not_ hiding or spying, he stands firm on that one). Tony wasn’t even aware the two were in any way familiar or close. Wanda might have helped bring Peter back but Tony still finds he has his guard up around the little red-haired witch. So yeah, Tony is a little on edge, perhaps a touch unnerved by the whole thing.

It doesn’t take a genius (playboy, billionaire, philanthropist etc) to guess why Peter is avoiding him. Tony blushes deep and hot when he thinks of the scene he’d been greeted with. He struggles to shake off his own muscle memory of things he’s not supposed to know the feeling of, yet somehow does. The Soul Stone is apparently a powerful master and Tony was not immune to its charms.

There were few details he shared during the debrief they had been forced to attend and none of them included the way he swore he’d felt Peter’s lips against his own, the slide and grip of their skin. It didn’t make sense to him – it didn’t have to make sense to them, either.

Peter had likewise remained mostly mute during the debrief – uncharacteristic for someone who could usually talk around a mouth full of marbles at the bottom of a pool. His situation was easier to defend though – they mostly put it down to the trauma of his extraction.

Tony just wishes…well Tony isn’t sure what he wishes, to be perfectly honest. He’s not entirely certain what he’d expected to gain out of the situation, selfishly or otherwise. Did he hope that they’d pick up right where they left off? Christ, he is Peter’s mentor, his confidante and hopefully friend. The world would sooner see Peter as his _son_ , than as his…partner? Lover?

Tony prides himself on his moral compass and he’s ashamed to recall he’s already gotten himself off twice in the shower since their return, to the memories he brought back with him. He’s not proud to think of the way he was forced to swallow his agonized groans against the cool shower as his hand pumped his turgid cock raw, remembering the way Peter’s soft and pliant body yielded to his own. Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood as he spurts his release down the drain, choking on Peter’s name.

_Fuck._

“Tony?”

He looks up, startled, embarrassed, as if the man in front can read his thoughts.

“Sam.”

“You alright man? You lookin’ kinda spooked these days. Bruce is starting to get worried.” Sam’s hands shoot up defensively at the hostile look on Tony’s face. “Now I know you’re not wantin’ to talk about what you saw in that place. From the way you two are acting my guess is nothin’ good. But you and the kid? You two need to work out whatever it is. You gotta sort these issues, man.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Tony chokes. “We don’t have any uh, issues.”

“Stark you got so many issues Dr Phil would have a field day,” Sam snarks. “And that’s _without_ the kid. Seriously man, the world’s a dumpster fire, in case you haven’t noticed. We need all hands on deck, and we can’t do that without Iron Man and Spider-Man. Now you need to go talk to him, work it out. Before Nat locks the two of you in a room and _makes you_ work it out.”

Tony shudders at the thought. Sam claps a jovial hand on his back and Tony clenches his eyes shut and his fingers roll into a fist. The Avengers are many things, Tony thinks. Subtle is not one of them.

 

*

 

Which is exactly how he finds himself alone with Peter a few days later. Apparently a common super power amongst the team is disappearing conveniently – or inconveniently, as the case may be. The boy is nervous, skittish, and seems to baulk when he realizes the others have left the two of them alone in the east wing of the compound.

Peter is making mumbled excuses about needing to return to med bay for a check up when Tony decides enough is probably enough. Whatever the outcome, they need to talk about what happened in the Other Realm (Dream World? Peter’s Dirty Little Fantasy? Tony’s gonna go with Other Realm on this one).

And if that means rejection…well, Stark doesn’t want to think about that.

"Mr Stark I’m supposed to go-“

“And what? Have your vitals checked? Let Nurse Edwina dole out a few more sedatives?”

“You…you know about that?”

 “What, that you’re not sleeping?” Tony sniffs. “Yeah kid, I know.”

 Peter looks at him with those big Bambi eyes and Tony’s heart flutters. He tries to grin but he’s sure it somehow comes out pained and grotesque.

 “I’m not sleeping either. Travelling between Dimensions seems to act like one big caffeine pill.”

Peter looks fragile, a deer caught in a moment of fight or flight, and Tony’s anxious he’s going to go with the latter.

“Is that why you wanted to talk to me Mr Stark? Sleeping patterns? Because I’ll be okay, really." 

“No! I mean, no…damn it kid, stop it with the Mr Stark.”

“Then stop it with the ‘Kid’…Tony. Listen I, I really should be getting back. May’s not going to be happy with just a few calls, she’s starting to get real antsy and if I don’t let her see me-”

Tony lashes out of fear, stepping between Peter and the door.

“Peter, stop.”

“Please let me go,” Peter says, his eyes flicking to the door, looking for an exit. It recalls what Peter said to him in the Realm and Tony’s heart aches. Both Tony and Peter know the younger man could easily use his powers to web his way out of here but Tony thinks that part of Peter wants this as much as he does – at least that’s what he’s working with. Last chance. No regrets. 

Peter closes his eyes and the expression on his face is so soft, so vulnerable, Tony wishes he could kiss the pain away.

“I know what you’re trying to do Tony, and it’s okay. I understand. I know those things you said back there, in that place…you were just trying to soften the blow, help bring me home. And I mean it worked right? Here I am, home. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

There’s a dark, broken quality to Peter’s voice that Tony doesn’t like one bit. For someone who proclaimed himself to be ‘home’ Peter looks utterly miserable.

“You think so little of me?” Tony asks, his voice low and dangerous. He sees the way the boy shivers, his little breath hitching. He feels a spark of hope in the way Peter’s eyes flick to his mouth before searching his eyes again. “You think I would _lie_ to you? Answer me, Peter.”

“No, Sir,” Peter mumbles, pupils blown wide.

“You think I would have risked everything – would _still_ risk everything – if I didn’t care for you like that? If I didn’t- if I- god damn it Peter Parker, I’m trying to tell you I’m in love with you.”

Tony is pretty sure he half-shouts this last bit and a part of him wants to die of humiliation. But he’s so far gone for this boy – this man – that Tony is almost completely sure he would lay down his life if it meant keeping Peter safe.

The silence is deafening.

Tony feels all his courage leave him in one fell swoop, his stomach dropping through the floor and his balance threatening to topple. He hadn’t meant for it to come out so harshly.

“Screw it.”

He closes the distance between them, presses Peter hard up against the door and crushes his mouth against Peter’s. Peter lets out a noise that is somewhere between surprised and wounded and to Tony’s ears it is the most erotic sound he’s ever heard.


End file.
